Aircraft control



Jan. '16, 1940. J. M. GWINN. JR

'AIRCRAFT CONTROL Filed Feb. 27, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR .m w. M

ram ATTORNEYS Jan. 16, 1940. J. M. GWINN. JR

AIRCRAFT CONTROL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2'7, 1937 losept l MimggJt,

Jan. 16, 1940.

J. M. GWIINN. JR

AIRCRAFT CONTROL Filed Feb. 27, 1937 4 o'heets-sheet 5 QQE . wwdmwlllllflflfllll I! as? my 6% 6; a

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I INVENTOR io'sepl l MfiwmmJn, KEYS ATT 1811- 1940- J. M. GWINN. JR

AIRCRAFT CONTROL Filed Feb. 27, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Josepg lMk iwsflJt,

Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIRCRAFT CONTROLJoseph M- Gwinn, In, Buffalo, N. Y. Application February 27, 1937,Serial No. 128,255

' 11 Claims.

purposes.

One object of the invention is the provision of an improved mechanismfor selectively transmitting control movements to aircraft controlsurfaces.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism forsuperposing similar and opposite control motions upon control membersfor producing coincidental plural control effects.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plural control mechanismhaving manually operable structure conveniently disposed at a positionremote from its supporting structure and yet so arranged that the,assemblage is supported at all positions of operation in such mannerthat the mechanism inherently tends to remain in any position of itsadjustment.

The operation of an aircraft is generally accomplished through use of anumber of controls which are connected to movable surfaces thereon, andwhich of necessity comprise independently acting parts. These operatingparts are usually' separately disposed upon the aircraft in differentlocations, and a multiplicity of parts and supporting elements thereforare required. Such an arrangement complicates the process ofmanufacturing the aircraft and causes reaction forces of the controls tobe imposed upon the supporting structure at separated points. Thesefactors introduce problems in design and construction which must besolved in order to insure rlgidity of the control mechanism and toprevent vibration in the supporting structure, whereby a. smoothlyoperating and inherently stable control system maybe obtained. It is'therefore desirable to provide an efficient compact structure comprisingthe essential elements of a plural control mechanism which may bemanufactured and assembled in an aircraft as a unit.

It is sometimes desirable to move the same control surface in connectionwith a plurality of flight controlling operations. For example, wingflaps mounted upon opposite sides of the aircraft may be moved inreverse directions for lateral control purposes, and the same flaps maybe actuated concurrently in the same direction for air braking orincreased lift efiect.

The invention is exemplified in a structure in which movable controlsurfaces of an aircraft can be actuated concurrently in the samedirection for adjustment; and from any position of such adjustment,these surfaces can be moved in opposite directions of adjustment, inorder that the two kinds of adjustments specified can be superposed uponone another throughout the entire 3 range of operating control of theaircraft. A unitary control mechanism conveniently accessible to thepilot is provided with a pluralityof control elements connected to thecontrol surfaces, and this mechanism is composed of a plurality woflinks, or the like, which include a pivotable frame structure formedwith polygonal sides.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic elevation of the control mechanismas applied upon is an aircraft;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly in section,on an enlarged scale. of the pilot controls;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear'elevation of the 30 structure shown in Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a. fragmentary plan of a pivotal frame supporting portions ofthe control mechanlsm;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan of 35 the control mechanismapplied upon an aircraft;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary. longitudinal section on an enlarged scale of asteering-post;

Fig. '7 is a'fragmentary front elevation, on a larger scale, showing indetail agportion of the 30 control mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the structureshow'n inFig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through one of .the linksof the,;l 'control mechanism. 1'

Referring to the drawings, the aircraft'comprises generally a fuselage[0, fixed upper. wings I I extending laterally from each side of thefuselage, movable flaps l2 hingedly mounted, as in-.. m dicated at l3,upon the trailing edges of said wings, fixed lower wings l5, flaps l6hingedly mounted, as indicated at I I, upon the wings I 5. at theirtrailing edges, a horizontal stabilizer 20 and an elevator 2| hingedthereto, as indicated 5 at 22, a pilots seat 30, a pilot controlassemblage 3|, and a control motion transmitting unit H0. v

The. pilot control mechanism 3| is positioned within the fuselage l0 andin front of the pilots seat 30, and is particularly. arranged with aviewto the pilots comfort and ease of entrance and exit to and from thepilots seat. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the mechanism 3| includes a base32 adapted for rigid mounting upon the so,

fuselage l0, and front and rear posts 33 and 34, respectively, each ofwhich are pivotally mounted at their lower ends upon the base 32 bybolts 35 and 36, respectively. A pair of links 31 are pivotallyconnected to corresponding sides of 'the upper ends of the posts 33 and34 by means of a pin 4| and a pair of bearings 42, respectively.

The posts 33 and 34 (Figs. 2-4) are generally of channel-like shape,comprising opposite parallel side members 38 and intermediate trans-'verse web members 38. The opposite ends of the side members 33 extendbeyond the web portions 'the latter upon the bolts 42.- The outersurface of the bell portion 5| is preferably a surface of revolutionabout the axis of the pivot bolt 42. A set screw 52 mounted in screwthreaded relation in the lower part of the bell 5! provides adjustablemeans for cooperating with anarm 53 which extends rigidly from the link31 to provide adjustable stop means for limiting the downwardly pivotalmovement of the column about the bolts 42. Thus, from any adjustedposition the 'column 50 may be freely swung about the bolts 42 upwardlyand away from the pilots seat for the convenience'of the pilot whenentering or leaving the seat. The screw 52 may be adjusted to determinethe position of the column 50 at any desired angle to conveniently suitpersons of different physical proportions.

The pivotal connection at 42 of the control member 50 to the supportinglinlg structure also operates to lessen the possibility of injury to thepilot in the'event of a crash or other cause of rapid deceleration offorward movement of the I aircraft. Under such circumstances the control-members'50 and 50 move upwardly and forwardly about the pivotalconnections 42 under the pressure of the pilots hands and/or the.momentum of the structure, whereby it is moved out'of range of thoseportions of the pilots body that are pitched forwardly relatively of thefuselage as a result of the impact. Or. if the pilot has a sufllcientopportunity, he may prepare for an imminentcrash by deliberately movingthe control members to its forward and upward position, thus avoidingviolent contact of his body against the control member at the time ofim- A casing is fixedly mounted upom the rear post-34 enclosing the rearand a portion of each side of the pivotal post mechanism, and is formed-with a circular opening 56, which/together with a projecting lip 51formed on the. post 34 receives the bell-end 5| of the column 53. Sincethe surface of the bell portion II is a surface of revolution, theclearance between the portion 5| and the marginal edges of the openingI! and the lip 51 remains constant during adjusting.

movements of control column 53 about axis 42. This casing provides acovering for the mechanism without interferingwith the vertical'swinzingmovement of thecolumn- 5| about the bolts 42. The web member 33 of thepost 34 "terminates at a point below the opening 56. An outer of the pin36, hence,

stationary casing member 58, fixedly mounted upon the base 32 receivesthe forward edges of the casing 55 in telescopic relation and extendsforwardly along the sides and thence across the front of the mechanism,thus completing enclosure of the latter without interfering with pivotalmovements thereof upon the bolts 35 and 36. The outer surface of thecasing 55 is preferably a surface of revolution about the axis theclearance between the casing 55 and the marginal edge portions of thecasing 58 remains constant throughout movements of the post 34 relativeto the base 32.

The control column 50 (Figs. 2 and 6) is of tubular construction and isprovided at its upper end with a pilot's control wheel 60 which has ahub 6| rigidlysecured to the central portion thereof, as indicated atSid, and a threaded bolt 62 has a splined or keyed connection 5211securing it in the central portion of the hub. The outer end of the bolt62 is provided with a nut 53 and a screw 63a for rigidly securing thehub 6| thereonfand the nut and screw are disposed in a recessed portion64 of the hub. The screw 63a also serves'as a plug to close an axialopening 63b extending longitudinally through the bolt 52. The outerportion of the hub 6! has a horn .button 65 mounted axially of therecess 64 by cate with a suitable electric horn (not shown) I and in aconventional manner. The contact members 68 are connected to aninsulating ring fiaa'mounted in the end portion of a coupling member 63which is mounted upon the end portion of the column 50, and is spacedslightly from the hub 5L1 A collar 10 disposed about the upper endof thebolt 62 serves to space the hub Bl from a bearing 'Il'mounted in thecoupling 69. The opposite sides of the bearing Ii are prevented frommoving axially by resting against the collar 13 on one side and ashoulder 12a on the other side, the latter shoulder constituting an endportion of a sleeve 12 carried rigidly in the column III. A shoulder 13formed on the bolt 62 at the inner side of the bearing 1| cooperateswith the nut "and walls of the coupling 33 to prevent longitudinalmovement of the bolt 62 relative to the column 55, but permits freerotation of the wheel 55 and the bolt 52 relative to the column. Theinner end of the coupling member 69 is screw-threaded upon the end of acollar 14 which is wedged upon a flared portion of the column 50 andabuts the shoulder 12a.

The inner .wall of the sleeve 12 interflts in longitudinal slidingrelation with the outer wall of a tube 15 by means of spline connections15a. The tube I5 is internally threaded and is engaged with the threadedportion of the bolt 52 and is rigidly connected, as indicated at It, tothe upper closed end of a push-pull tube 11. Thus, ro-

. tation of the bolt 62 causes longitudinal movechamber 11a within thebore of tube I5 is provided between the opposed ends of tube I1 and bolt62 into which lubricant can be introduced through the axial opening 83bupon removal of the screw 63a. Longitudinal movement of the bolt 62 inthe tube I6 causes the lubricant to be forced through the interfittingscrew threaded portions of the tube I5 and the bolt 82 and thence to thespline connections 16a.

The lower end of the tube 11 is connected to one side of a conventionalknuckle joint 88 (Fig. 4), having its pivot axis normally in substantialaxial alignment with the-bolts 82. A rod 8| pivotally connects theopposite side of the knuckle joint 88 to one end of a bell-crank 82 asby means of a, pin 83: The bell-crank 82 is fulcrumed upon the bolt 4I'between the side members 38 of the post 33 and is pivotally con-' nectedat its opposite end by means of a pin 88 to one end of a rod 86, whichin turn, is pivotally connected at its lower end to a bell-crank 98bymeans of a pin 8|. The web 38 of thepost 33 terminates at a point belowthe sweep of the bell-crank 82. The parts are so arranged that a linejoining the pivot points II and 85 is equal in length and parallel to aline joining the pivot points 35 and 8|. The members 86 and 33 are thusarranged in parallel spaced relation, and the members 33 and 34 can bepivoted forwardly or rearwardly upon their lower supports 35 and 36without causing motion of the bell crank 88 relative to the base 32.

The bell-crank 98 is fulcrumed upon the bolt 35, and has its lower endpivotally connected by a pin 92 to one end of a conventional pushpullcontrol tube 83 which extends rearwardly of the fuselage I8 throughsuitable guides or supports (not shown) to the control motiontransmitting unit II8. Thus, as viewed in Fig. 2, rotation of the wheel68 to the right with respect to the view of the pilot will move the rods11 and Ill forwardly and rotate the bell-crank 82 clockwise. The rod 86will thus be moved downwardly and the bell-crank rotated clockwise, andthe tube 83 will be moved forwardly of the aircraft fuselage. Rotationof the wheel to the left will impart reverse movements to the variousmembers of the mechanism and to the tube. 83.

The lower end of the post 34 is provided with an arm 84 extending belowits point of connection with the bolt 36. The arm 84 is pivotallyconnected by means of a pin 86 to one end of a push-pull control tube 85which extends rearwardly of the fuselage I8 (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) and ispivotally connected by means of a pin 88 at its opposite end to a horn88, extending rigidly from the elevator 2I. Thus, forwardly orrearwardly bodily rocking movements of the column 58 and its supportingmechanism about the pivotal base bolts 35 and 36 will producelongitudinal movements of the rod 85, and upward or' downward pivotalmovements of the elevator 2| about its hinge connections 22 to thestabilizer 28.

It w illbe apparent that the axial alignment of the knuckle joint 88 andthe bolts" permits vertical pivotal movements of the control columnsowithout disturbing the relationship of the rod to the post 33; Thus, anysuch' movements J 58'above the base 32 provides 'a .control mecha- 4|and 35 and the member 86 is at all times 18 parallel to the post 33 therelationship of the bell-crank 88 and the base member 32 remainsunchanged. Also, rotation of wheel 68 will resuit in a correspondingrotation of hell-crank 88 and ajongitudinal movement of rod 83 tooperate flaps I6 without shifting the relation of the members thatcontrol the elevator motion.

The base meniber32, the posts 33 and 38, and'the 7 links 31 provide aframe having parallelogram sides and being pivotable forwardly andrearwardly above the base 32 for supporting the control column 58.Throughout suchpivotal movements of the frame, the links 31 remainparallel to an imaginary plane intersecting the axes of the bearings35'and 36, and thus the angular re ation between the column 58 and thefuselage I8 likewise remains constant for any condition of adjustment ofthe set screw 52. The substan tial vertical extent of the frame and thecolumn nism which moves at its upper end, and atits point of center ofgravity, from a central position of control neutral to an adjacentposition of adjustment through a substantially horizontal path.Therefore no appreciable gravity pull is 86 imposed upon the mechanismthat would otherwise upset its equilibrium or disturb the adjustments ofthe connected control surfaces or require the'pilot to exert anoffsetting force upon the controls.

The provision of a supporting structure for the control members which isat all times in a posi-. tion remote from the pilot and passenger seatreduces the possibility of accidental interference pants. r

An upwardly extending pedal I 88 is pivotally mounted upon the base 32by a bearing IN, and is formed with a downwardly extending arm I82 withthe controls of the aircraft, by the occuwhich is pivotally connected atits outer end '0 to one end of a push-pull tube I83. The tube I83extends rearwardly through the fuselage II and is pivotally connected atthe opposite end to the end of a horn I84 extending rigidly from a'shaft I85 which is journalled upon the fuselage I8. The end of anoppositely extending arm or horn I86 which is formed rigidly upon theshaft I85 is pivotally connected toone end of a rod I81, and theopposite end is pivotally connected by means of a pin I88 to an-ear I88formed on Q the motion transmitting unit 8 for transmitting controlmovements from the pedal I88 to the wing flaps I6. A pedal I-88ais'pivotally mounted upon the base 32 for operation of ground wheelbrakes (not shown) through suitable con- 88 necting means.

There is thus provided a unitary pil'ot control mechanism through whichseveral separate control movements may be transmitted withoutinterference one with the other, and whichvmay be 10 manufactured as aunit and conveniently installed in an aircraft by attachment to aminimum amount of supporting structure. The control mechanism; resemblesgenerally the conventional control mechanism provided for automollbiles, with which the average person is quite familiar. This resemblanceis not only in appearances, but pertains functionally as well, in thatthe wheel is rotatable for steering purposes and the pedals are operablefor controlling speed. The assemblage of the'several control membersupon a single base member confines the reaction forces which developupon actuation of the controls to this single rigid member.

Referring to Figs. '7, 8 and 9, the control motion transmitting unitIIII comprises a pair of v-shaped brackets I I2 which are rigidlymounted by means of bolts III upon a member II of the air craft fuselageIII. These brackets II2 carry at their lower ends transversely extendingaxially aligned stud shafts II4. Bearings II5 are fitted upon theinwardly extending ends of the shafts II4 for pivotally mounting upperends of oppositely extending arms I2I of a mounting hanger I23 in freelypivotal suspended relation to the brackets H2.

The arms I2I are socketed at I22 to fit over the bearings II5. Inwardlyextending shoulders I24 at the outer ends of the openings I22, andshoulders I25 extending laterally from the brackets II2, cooperate withsnap rings I23 and nuts I21, which are screw threaded upon the shafts II4, to secure the arms I2I against lateral displacement withoutinterfering with the pivotal relation of the hanger I23 upon the shaftsH4.

The hanger I23 has a normally vertical and central bore I33 thatreceives a post I3I in freely iournalling relation therein. The upperend of the post I3I is provided with a conventional universal joint I32which is also connected to'the lower end of anuppersub'stantiallyvertical rod I35. In this structure the axes of the universal jointintersect at a point I33 that is on the com-,

mon axis of the spaced bearings I I5. I

The upper end of the rod I is rotatableupon a stud I31 which is disposedin a bearing I33 formed inthe rod end, and the stud I31 is rigidlymounted, as indicated at I34, upon the fuselage I 3. The rod I35 is thussupported on the fuselage I3 for free pivotalor rotative movement aboutits vertical axis. I A crank arm I33 extends laterally from the rod I35,and has a connection I33 at its outer end pivotally securing it to theaileron control rod 33.

The post I3I is fitted'at its lower end with a cross bar or yoke I42which is held rigidly thereon by means of a key I43 and a nut I43.Oppositely extending end portions of the yoke I42 terminate in right andleft ears I43 and I43, re-

spectively, which-have outer faces I53.

Pins- I52 extendat right angles through" the ears I43 and I43, and thepins are so arranged in' the yoke I42 that the longitudinal axes of thepins I52 intersect 'at the point I33 of intersection of the axes of theuniversal joint I32 and the u about the axes of the bearings H5. Thefaces I53 of the ears I43 and I43 are equi-distant from this point ofintersection, and are, therefore, tangent to an imaginary sphere pointI33 as a center.

I55 are pivotally connected at their I43 and I43, respectively, I52. Theouter ends of Links inner ends to the ears by means of the pins thelinks I55 are pivotally connected by means of pins I3I to ears I34 andI35 formed on the outer ends of crank arms I33 and I33, respec- I33 andI33 are iourwhich are fitted upon ofthe stud shafts II4,

tively'. The crank arms nalled upon bearings I13 the outer extendingends I and are thus supported thereon in a manner indicated at I41,generated a smsa similar to that in which the hanger I23 is supportedupon the bearings H5. The crank arms I33 and I33 are so arranged thatouter, faces I33 of the ears I34 and I35 lie tangent tothe aforesaidimaginary sphere I41 and the longitudinal axes of the pins I3I intersectat the central point I33 of central intersection.

Each link I53 isformed with faces I31 and I33 adjacent its opposite endportions for contact with the outer ear faces I53 and I33, respectlvely.Therefore, the end portions of the links I55 lie in planes that aretangential to the imaginary sphere I41 regardless of the relativepositions of the yoke I42 and crank and I33.

The crank arms I33 and I33 are provided with sockets I33 in which rightand left wing-flap torque tubes I32 and I33, respectively, are rigidlyfitted and held against displacement therefrom by pins I34.

Conventional universal joints I33 are provided in the torque tubes I32and I33 to permit the stationary wings of the aircraft to be arrangedupon the fuselage in dihedral angular relation, and to prevent thetransmission of undesirable forces to the elements of the unit II3.

Rotation of the control wheel 33 will cause longitudinalmovement of thetube 33, as described above, and in turn cause the rod I35 and post I3Ito be rotated about their longitudinal axes. This will in turn rotatethe yoke I42 and move its ears I43 and I43 in opposite directions aboutthe axis of the post I3I as a center. Thus opposite motions will beimparted through the links I55 to cranks I33 and I33, and thence to thewing flap torque tubes I32 and I33 which will be rotated in oppositedirections for adjusting the wing flaps I3 for lateral control purposes.The ratio of the extent of the upward and downward movement posed wingflaps may be varied by altering the angle between the extending yokearms radially of their axis of rotation in the hanger I23. Forwardmovement of the pedal I33 will operate through tube 35 to rotate theshaft I33 clockwise. (as viewed in Fig. 1). move the hanger I23forwardly of the fuselage about the bearings III, andthrough links I53the motion of the hanger will be translated into coincidental clockwiserotation of I32 and I33 and equal movements of the wing flaps I3downwardly about their hin ed connections to the fixed wings II.

The adjustments of the wing flaps I3 either in opposite directions foruse as ailerons or in similar directions for use as flaps may be madeindependently one. from the other and may be p rp s d one upon the otherthroughout the entire range of their adiustability. For example. theflaps I3 may be simultaneously lowered by pedal I33 and connectedmembers. yet at all times they are relatively movable in oppositedirections for lateral control purposes by'means of the wheel 33 andconnected, members.

Obviously, either or both of the win flap control motions abovedescribed may be transmitted to duplicate sets of wing flaps attached tothe aircraft. For example, the drawings (Fig.

. 1) illustrate a biplane construction wherein the motionof tube I33 isalso transmitted to upper movable wing flaps. I2 by means of atube I33which is pivotally connected at one end to a horn I3I extending fromshaft I33. The opposite end of tube I33 is pivotally connected to one"endof shell-crank I33, which has a pivotal imparted to the oppositelydis- Tubelflwillthen' arms I33 torque tubes '9 connection I92 upon thefuselage. Theother end .ofthe bell-crank I93 is pivotally connected toone end of a tube I95 which is connected at its opposite end to a horn I96 extending rigidly from the flaps l2.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described indetail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that theinvention is .not so limited, but' that various changes can be madetherein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an aircraft, a supporting structure including a pair of opposedsides, a movable flight control surface connected to each of saidopposite sides of said structure, a series of pivotally connected linksconstituting a coupling between said surfaces, one of said linksproviding coma pound pivotal action to impart tov the surfaces equalconcurrent pivotal movements in the same direction or pivotal movementsin opposite directions, and plural control means connected to said ,onelink to operate the latter selectively in its 5 compound pivotalmovements.

2. In an aircraft, a supporting structure, two movable flight controlsurfaces connected to opposite sides of the structure, a lever, meansfor pivotally supporting said lever about a predetermined axis, meansfor rotatably carrying the lever in the first mentioned means forrotation about an axis intersecting the pivotal axis, means pivoted tothe lever for connecting the lever to the control surfaces, meanspivotedto'the lever for actuating the lever about its pivotal axis to move thecontrol surfaces in the same-direction, and means for actuating thelever about its rotative axis to move the control surfaces in oppositedirections-in any position of the lever assumed about its pivotal axis.

3. In an aircraft provided with supporting structure, movable elementsconnected to the structure for controlling of the aircraft, an uprightcontrol member supported upon said structure by means'of a pivotalconnection and connected to one of said elements for actuating thelatter, a lever pivoted directly upon said upright member, a linkpivoted to said lever and extending parallel to'said upright member, asecond lever pivotally mounted upon said pivotal connection andmaintaining said link in parallel relation to said upright member, meansfor connecting the second lever to another of said elements, and meansfor actuating said upright member and the first mentioned lever forindependent control of said elements through said upright member andlink.

'4. In an aircraft provided with supporting structure, a pair of movablecontrol surfaces carried pivotally upon said structure, a motiontranslating device, means for pivotally supporting said device about anaxis on said structure, actuating members pivoted coaxially with thepivotal axis of said device and having connections with said controlsurfaces, said device having a linkjportion remote from its pivotal axisand pivotably connected at'its opposite ends to said actuating members,means for rotatably guiding said'device about an axis transversely oftheaxis of its pivotal support, and control means connected to saiddevice for rotating andv pivoting the latter.

5.'In an aircraft provided with supporting" structure, a pair of movablecontrol surfaces .carried pivotally upon said structure, a motion 1translating device, means forpivotallysupporting said device about anaxis on said structure, actuating members pivoted coaxially with thepivotal axis of said device and having connections with said controlsurfaces, said device having a transverse portion remote from itspivotal axis 5 pivotally connected at its opposed ends to said actuatingmembers, meansfor rotatably guiding said device about an axistransversely of the axis of its pivotal support, and a plurality ofcontrol, means connected to said device for selectively impartingrotative or pivotal movement thereto or imparting compound rotative andpivotal movement thereto.

6. In a control mechanism for aircraft having movable elements foraircraft control purposes, a hanger provided with, a bearing opening,means for suspending the hanger about a pivotal axis,

a member rotatably mounted in said bearing opening and having its axisof rotation disposed transversely of the pivotal axis of said hanger,said member having a plurality of lateral extensions, arms havingpivotal supports coaxial with the pivotal axis of said hanger, means forconnecting said arms to. said aircraft control elements, means forconnecting said arms to said extensions, means for rotating said memberin said bearing opening to actuate said extensions angularly,and meansfor pivoting said hanger and member as a unit about the pivotal axis ofsaid hanger regardless of the position of said member in its bearingopening.

7. In an aircraft provided with supporting structure, movable elementsconnected to the structure for controlling flight of the aircraft, apair of upright frame members pivotally supported upon ,;said structureat their lower ends,

a transverse/bar extending between and pivotally connected to the upperend portions of said frame members by means of pivot pins, a leverpivotally mounted upon one of said pivot pins, a pilot actuo ated memberoperably connected to one end of said lever for imparting controlmotions thereto,

a link pivotally connected to the other end of said lever-and extendingparallel to one of said upright members, means for articulating saidlink to one of said movable elements and maintaining the link constantlyparallel to the latter upright member, pilot operable means foractuating said upright frame members about their pivotal connections tosaid supporting structure, and means connecting one of said uprightframe members to another of said control elements.

8. In an aircraft having an operator's seat and provided with movableelements for aircraft con- ;"trol purposes, a plural control devicehaving a support on said'craft located at a remote location relative tosaid seat, and control motion transmitting devices separately connectingsaid control device and said movable elements for control purposes, saidcontrol device extending from its support toward said seat andindependently rotatable about two axes for aircraft control purposes andpivotable relative to said support about an axis parallel to one of saidaxes of rotation relative to said seat without actuating any of 55 saidcontrol motion transmitting devices.

'\ 9. In an aircraft having anoperators seat and provided with movableelements for aircraft control purposes, a control device having asupport on said aircraft at. a remote location forwardly of said seat,control motion transmitting devices separately'connecting said controldevice and said movable elements for controlpurposes, said controldevice being supportedlaterally from its support toward said seat andindependently rotatable 1 about two axes for aircraft control purposesand pivotable relative to said support about an axis 1 parallel to oneof said axes of rotation relative to said seat without actuating any ofsaid control motion transmitting devices, and adjustable stop means forlimiting movement of said control device toward said seat to variousadjusted positions. 10. In a control mechanism for aircraft having aplurality of movable surfaces for flight control purposes, a motiontransmitting device, means for pivotally supporting said device about anaxis of said structure, actuating members having connections with saidcontrol surfaces and mounted for rotation about axes coincident withsaid piv- 1 otal axis, said device having a portion extendingtransversely from said pivotal axis, a plurality of arms extendingradially about said transverse portion of said device and pivotallyconnected by means of linkage at their outer ends to different a of saidactuating members, the angular relation of said arms being such as toprocure diflerential control surface movements in opposite directions ofmovement in response to rotative movements of said transverse portion ofsaid device about an axis intersecting said pivotal axis and movementsof said control surfaces coincidentally similar in direction andmagnitude in response to pivotal movements of said device about saidpivotal axis, and a plurality of control means connected to said devicefor selectively imparting rotative or pivotal movement thereto orimparting compound rotative and pivotal movement thereto.

11. In an aircraft control mechanism, a base, a lever pivotallysupported upon said base and extending therefrom and movable to actuatea control element of said aircraft, a pilot operable control memberpivotably mounted upon an extending portion of said lever fortransmitting,

control movements through said lever to said aircraft control element, acasing member mounted upon said pilot control member concentrically ofthe line of said pivotal mounting, a housing fixedly mounted upon saidlever concentrically of the line of said pivotal support and having anopening adapted to receive said casing in free fitting relation therein,and a guard fixedly mounted relative to said base and having an openingto receive said housing in free fitting relation therein, whereby saidguard and said housing and said casing combine to provide asubstantially complete enclosure for the moving elements of said controlmechanism.

JOSEPH M. GWDIN. JR.

